Post-apocalyptic, with creepy monsters, and told the story of a pair of sisters who were just trying to make the farm that their late father left them work in his absence. The eldest sister's husband went off to war a few months back, and they were waiting anxiously for his return. But when they hire a veteran to help with the harvest, strange monsters begin to appear and circle the farm. . It was quiet and verged on YA, but riveting; I found it extra interesting because there were a series of place names that sounded... juuuust... familiar..... enough.... to the point where I looked up what place this was actually set in, and was gratified to find I was right. ( )

A story of two sisters and family dynamics in a post-apocalyptic world (by several generations) currently threatened by invasions from a parallel world. Much is left unknown in this dark and hopeful story that is a sometimes heavy read. Great writing. I'm sad to see so few readers of this book. Worth it! ( )

Surprising in a good way. The language is Canadian, a little oblique and not what I expected. Admirable restraint in sketching the apocalypse that happened four generations ago. I thought it a little too pat, too healed by the end. But a satisfying visit to this world. ( )

I received an ARC for this book from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

If absolutely nothing else, the initial blurb of this book is enough to make me grab it off the shelf. Dark things happening! There was a war! Ugly truths! Risks being taken and secrets being kept! Woo! What more could a reader ask for?!

This book is what.

Let me be honest with you. The plot for this book is not surprising. Many of the twists I saw coming, and it all wraps up the way one might expect. But this is what pushed it from a 4-star review to a 5-star.

The characters.

Hallie and Marthe are a brilliant duo of sisters, desperately trying not to live down to the reputation of their family, and failing every step of the way. They are younger women trying to hold down a farm by themselves, trying to prove they are worth the farm, trying to prove they are worth themselves. They each have their father's temper in spades, though it comes out in different ways, and they haven't quite figured out how to talk to each other as something approximating adults yet.

The farms around them, their friends and supports, are well-rounded without being overpowering. The romance arc that grows with Hallie feels natural and exactly as awkward as it should, there's a natural diversity represented without it ever being Presented As Diversity (in fact, it took me several mentions to realize what I was reading), and they're never treated as one-note "just here for the sake of being here" characters.

And then there's Heron.

In any book, when a quiet stranger is introduced at the beginning and clearly set up to be Not Important, you know they're the ones to watch. Heron is absolutely no different. I can't quite put a finger on what it was about this character that so completely trapped me, but every time he was around, my eyes were on him. There was such a sense of being genuine, such a quiet strength, a silent sense of honor...I don't know. But Heron was an amazing character and I loved every minute of him. He was real, and he was complex, and he was wonderful. I wish I had better words to tell you why.

Character is one of the most important pieces of a story for me. It's one of the pieces I will always focus the most on. Leah Bobet has absolutely nailed the art of subtle and real characters, and for that alone, this book is well worth the read.

Rating: ***** - Highest Recommendation

AN INHERITANCE OF ASHES hits shelves October 4th, 2015. ( )

The writing of the book was lovely, just absolutely lovely.

And the characters were very, very real, which I liked. They were all flawed, and they had to draw strength from within, surfacing mostly from familial love, to overcome those flaws, which I liked very, very much. I also liked that Bobet didn't go for the love triangle between Hallie, Tyler and Heron.

But the thing about this book is that it was super predictable. I knew just about every plot twist a hundred pages before it happened.

Overall, I liked it. Solid 3.5 star. ( )